All 4 Cats Have Ringworm And Are Getting Worse Despite 4 Weeks Of Aggressive Treatment :(

[missylovescats]

Hi and thank you for allowing me to join. This is the backstory. We had 4 beautiful loving cats. Our Francesca was only 10 and very healthy besides asthma. She got ill June 9th and we brought her immediately to the vet and 2 days later they diagnosed LCL of the proximal duodenum. We gave her chemo including Elspar but 7 days after diagnosis she died. We are devastated as she was our heart kitty. Sweet, sassy and everything wonderful.

In order to honor her life we rescued another cat in need.This one had a herpetic eye ulcer that was getting worse. We took him and brought him to the vet ophthalmologist three times over the course of 3 weeks and give him round the clock eyedrops. It was an aggressive ulcer but we got it healed and his eye was good. The vet ophthalmologist said it was now OK to integrate him into our household of 3 adult cats. One week later everyone came down with ringworm.

We had never heard of ringworm before but now we are almost expats. One of the vet dermatologists I spoke at length with said we probably know more than most vet derm at this point. However despite that all our cats are getting worse and we are beyond despair. One of our cats is over 16 years of age and cannot tolerate the Itrafungol so we had to stop that med for him. All he is getting now is lime dips. The other 3 are getting Itrafungol daily (not pulse dosing as recommended by the vet derm to do daily) and lime dips weekly and topicals. All have increasing spots and we don't know what we are doing wrong or if this is just a virulent strain.

We are not isolating the cats as they stop eating when we do so we are cleaning, vacuuming, disinfecting the entire house every single day and laundering everything in super hot water for 2 hours each wash and drying on super hot plus using a special detergent that is supposed to be good against Microsporum canis.

We are in week 4 of daily Itrafungol and weekly lime dips and topical application. We are thinking of trying the lime dips at home to increase it to twice a week as the local vet will only do it once a week. Does anyone have any suggestions for us? Fred is doing so poorly we are considering giving him peace. This is heartbreaking on so many levels. We miss Francesca so much and were just trying to do a good deed by saving Oliver and his eye and now everyone has ringworm and is getting worse.

Will we get through this? Will our cats survive? Will we survive? We are stranded at our NJ shore house until they are all better as we cannot infect another home. My dh might lose his job if we cannot get back home within the next month. This is a nightmare of epic proportions and our poor babies are suffering. All because I had to rescue Oliver.

Thanks for reading and sorry for the length. I am stressed and worried for the welfare of our cats. And both my dh and I have spots too but that is not important. What is important is getting our cats better. Will we get them through this?

Sharing a photo of Fred, Bobby and Tommy from May. Before ringworm and before I got rid of all our area rugs. Then sharing a photo of Oliver. Patient Zero. Then 2 photos of our heart kitty Francesca who is now at Rainbow Bridge. Last photo was a day before she died We miss you and will love you forever sweet Francesca.

Thank you all for reading and for any suggestions or advice you have to offer.

 

[missylovescats]

Just to add my husband and I do TNR with the ferals in our neighborhood and we also feed them and provide shelter to them. Now we just want to save our darling house kitties. Our poor babies are not doing well. How can a fungus kill them? The treatment is worse than the disease but we have to treat as I am immune compromised. What should we do? Thank you and sorry I’m a bit emotional. This has been a hard summer missing our sweet girl and now all of our cats dealing with this

 

[missylovescats]

I also want to thank Bunnelina and everyone who contributed to her thread. I found it very helpful and appreciate everyone taking the time and energy to share their hard wom experience. Glad everyone is well now too. Praying we can get there and praying Fred can make it through this.

 

[jcat]

You and the cats will survive this, though I can understand why you feel this is never going to end. I work at an animal shelter, and we've gotten some very hard cases - guinea pigs, kittens, and adult cats - when it seemed like the ringworm would never clear up, and we'd be cleaning like mad till Doomsday. Some cases were gone in a week or two, while others took two months or so (senior or FIV+ cats, for the most part, but not always).

The standard treatment here has been oral Itrafungol - the pulse treatment you mentioned - plus Enilconazole (Imaverol® here in Germany) used topically. We usually give cats with bad ringworm cases a sponge bath with that at least once a week, plus we sometimes use it to clean non-porous surfaces (though that's very expensive).

One of the best tips I got re: cleaning was to Swiffer everything daily - get yourself a Swiffer duster with plenty of refills, plus a Swiffer sweeper, again with a big box of refills, and discard the "cloths" immediately after use. You'll get rid of a lot of spores that way.

Hang in there. In a couple of weeks this will just be a bad memory.

ETA: The vets prescribed Enilconazole off label, since it's normally used for dogs and cattle. You need to use an e-collar on cats (or carry them around) till it's dry to prevent them from licking it,

 

[missylovescats]

You and the cats will survive this, though I can understand why you feel this is never going to end. I work at an animal shelter, and we've gotten some very hard cases - guinea pigs, kittens, and adult cats - when it seemed like the ringworm would never clear up, and we'd be cleaning like mad till Doomsday. Some cases were gone in a week or two, while others took two months or so (senior or FIV+ cats, for the most part, but not always).

The standard treatment here has been oral Itrafungol - the pulse treatment you mentioned - plus Enilconazole (Imaverol® here in Germany) used topically. We usually give cats with bad ringworm cases a sponge bath with that at least once a week, plus we use sometimes use it to clean non-porous surfaces (though that's very expensive).

One of the best tips I got re: cleaning was to Swiffer everything daily - get yourself a Swiffer duster with plenty of refills, plus a Swiffer sweeper, again with a big box of refills, and discard the "cloths" immediately after use. You'll get rid of a lot of spores that way.

Hang in there. In a couple of weeks this will just be a bad memory.

Thanks for your encouragement. We have been at this for almost a month and still new spots are occurring on all four cats. We are swiftering and vacuuming with a HEPA filter vacuum. I’m just so scared that all of them are getting worse still. And Fred’s immune system is non existent and he cannot tolerate the Itrafungol so he might never get over this and then he will keep everyone sick. We cannot isolate him or he stops eating.

 

[missylovescats]

And we use Rescue on everything after we have swiftered and vacuumed. We are cleaning all 3500 sq feet every day so the cats have some semblance of normal life. We have to allow them the freedom to roam the house. They’re already so stressed and I know that impacts their immune system.

 

[jcat]

I'd ask the dermatologist about trying Enilconazole. Just be sure the cats can't lick themselves till it's completely dry (e-collars).
Enilconazole - Drugs.com

 

[missylovescats]

I'd ask the dermatologist about trying Enilconazole. Just be sure the cats can't lick themselves till it's completely dry (e-collars).

Thanks jcat. I don’t think it’s available in the USA. I read that on one of the many pub med and journal articles I’ve been reading. And thanks for the hugs. I need all the hugs I can get. I feel so bad I can’t hug my babies.

 

[missylovescats]

Jcat, do you know anything about the ringworm vaccine? My girlfriend is in Germany and she said it was the only thing that helped her cats. We can’t get it in the USA and I was wondering what your experience is with the vaccine. Would it be worth flying to Europe and trying to bring it into the USA?
Thanks.

 

[jcat]

I've heard of it, but we've never tried it. We haven't had animals that got ringworm at the shelter, just ones that have come in with it. Those animals go into the quarantine section so they can't spread it. Afaik, the vaccine will prevent an infection, but won't speed up recovery from an existing one, but I might be wrong about that.

Dermatophytosis – “ringworm” |

Cornell is pretty much the feline authority and doesn't recommend it.

Feline Vaccines: Benefits and Risks

Dermatophytosis (ringworm): These fungal infections, which cause hair loss and inflammation of the skin, spread to both dogs and humans through direct contact. Vaccines against the fungal species that cause ringworm are ineffective in cats, and are not recommended.

It looks like Imaverol is sold in Canada, by prescription, but that might not be any help. Imaverol (Canada) for Animal Use - Drugs.com

 

[missylovescats]

So the rescue person we got Oliver from is coming over today and wants to help us shampoo the cats. Our cats have never been shampooed before and they are extremely anxious kitties so wish us luck.

I know lime dips are best but Elaine (the rescue person) said shampooing with anti fungal shampoo is important and she never does lime dips on her ringworm kitties.

If this works out my husband and I will do lime dips at home once a week and with the vet once a week. The vet will only do them once a week because she doesn't have the resources (ie staff) to do them more. So this will be a test run to see if we can actually do this to our cats. I hope they will tolerate it. We desperately want them to get better.

And Fred the older kitty is not tolerating any treatment well and he is getting overrun with the fungus. How can Fred get better if his immune system is not working well. Sorry I know I am being a downer. It's just I thought after 4 weeks of all this treatment they would be at least not getting worse...

 

[missylovescats]

I've heard of it, but we've never tried it. We haven't had animals that got ringworm at the shelter, just ones that have come in with it. Those animals go into the quarantine section so they can't spread it. Afaik, the vaccine will prevent an infection, but won't speed up recovery from an existing one, but I might be wrong about that.

Dermatophytosis – “ringworm” |

Cornell is pretty much the feline authority and doesn't recommend it.

Feline Vaccines: Benefits and Risks



It looks like Imaverol is sold in Canada, by prescription, but that might not be any help. Imaverol (Canada) for Animal Use - Drugs.com

Thank you for the info Jcat!

 

[missylovescats]

Update: The rescue person we got Oliver from came over yesterday and helped us bathe all 4 with Miconazole shampoo. That was challenging but we are so appreciative that the rescue person was willing to come over and help us especially because she lives an hour away. She scrubbed off lots of the fungus areas leaving raw skin behind. I hope it is OK for them to get their lime dips today at the veterinarian's office. Here is sweet Fred right after his Miconazole shampoo yesterday. Here is a photo of Fred with Elaine the rescue person who came over to help yesterday. And then a photo of Fred laying on the couch next to us and with my husband last night.

Wish us luck on the lime sulfur dip today. Fred, Bobby, Tommy and Oliver need lots of good wishes and purry hugs. Thanks.

 

[missylovescats]

Hi guys, quick question.

3 of our 4 cats have been on Itrafungol for almost a month now. Oliver straight for 26 days and Bobby and Tommy for around 3 weeks. But Fred couldn't tolerate it so he was only on it for 6 days and that was weeks ago.

They are all also getting lime sulfur dips however and Fred, Tommy and Bobby have so far had 4 lime sulfur dips over the past 4 weeks and Oliver has had 5 lime sulfur dips over the past 4 plus weeks.

Question is this. Are they less contagious to us now? And if so how much less if you can quantify?

I am just trying to figure out can I hug and hold them safely or is it still too risky?

I am prone to skin issues and have moderate eczema and other dermatitis issues so I know I am at higher risk of contracting ringworm from the cats. But I was just hoping now that we have been treating them for 3-4 weeks now they might be less contagious to us.

Thanks.

 

[darg]

Ringworm is generally no longer contagious a few days after treatment is started. However, since you say that it is still spreading despite treatment, it would seem that it is still contagious in the case of your cats. Best advice is to ask the vet.

My only experience with ringworm on a cat was with a girlfriends indoor/outdoor cat. We didn't notice the large spot on his side and we both ended up getting it as well. This was close to 40 years ago and we ended up being told (not by a vet) to treat the cats spot and our own with Tinactin. Probably very bad advice because the cat could reach to lick the spot and therefore the medicine. But, it actually worked on the cat and on us. We were all clear within a couple of weeks.

I am NOT suggesting using an OTC fungal treatment on the cats. I only mention that story because I had no idea how insidious a ringworm infection could get until the internet came along and I read stories like this. I hope you find a path to clear your kitties up as quickly as possible. Godspeed.

 

[missylovescats]

Does anyone know if bathing cats with anti fungal shampoo is helpful for ringworm?

I am reading conflicting info (Dr. Karen Moriello (sp?) who I believe is the expert re ringworm) that bathing can break their hair shafts and spread ringworm but then I am reading it is helpful.

The rescue person we got Oliver from (and patient Zero who infected the rest of our furry babies) said bathing has always been helpful for her cats with ringworm and she also has lots of experience.

So we are bathing them once or twice a week and dipping them with Lime sulfur once a week (different day than bathing) and doing Itrafungol for all but Fred who cannot tolerate the oral anti fungal meds.

I just don't want to be making them worse. Any thoughts re bathing is appreciated. Thanks.

 

[silkenpaw]

When my cats had ringworm, they were shaved. The vet said that decreased shedding of the fungus. And they got Itraconazole (Itrafungol) twice a day. Plus the sulfur baths. Of course, that was 10 years ago, things might have changed.

 

[missylovescats]

When my cats had ringworm, they were shaved. The vet said that decreased shedding of the fungus. And they got Itraconazole (Itrafungol) twice a day. Plus the sulfur baths. Of course, that was 10 years ago, things might have changed.

Thanks and glad you were able to get your cats well. We asked but our vet doesn't want to shave the cats and we are giving Itrafungol just once a day. At 5 mg/kg with the exception of Oliver who is getting 10 mg/kg but in one dose a day. And our senior cat did not tolerate the Itrafungol at all so we had to d/c it with him. I am very concerned we won't be able to get Fred (the senior kitty) well with just topical treatment and lime dips and bathing.

 

[daisycat1122]

I just finished treating my 10 year old girl kitty with Terbenafine (antifungal) daily for 3 weeks, plus she had lime sulfur dips twice weekly for 3 weeks. She is all cleared up and none of my other 17 cats have gotten ringworm. I did not bathe/shampoo her at all. This is the treatment protocol recommended everywhere that I read, including on Maddie's Fund rescue page. The idea is that the fungal spores attach to the base of the hair follicles and the lime sulfur kills the spores. The concensus is that no amount of housecleaning, lime sulfur dips, etc. will work unless the cat is also getting an oral antifungal treatment. I suggest trying terbenafine and also doing the dips twice weekly on all of your cats.

 

[missylovescats]

I just finished treating my 10 year old girl kitty with Terbenafine (antifungal) daily for 3 weeks, plus she had lime sulfur dips twice weekly for 3 weeks. She is all cleared up and none of my other 17 cats have gotten ringworm. I did not bathe/shampoo her at all. This is the treatment protocol recommended everywhere that I read, including on Maddie's Fund rescue page. The idea is that the fungal spores attach to the base of the hair follicles and the lime sulfur kills the spores. The concensus is that no amount of housecleaning, lime sulfur dips, etc. will work unless the cat is also getting an oral antifungal treatment. I suggest trying terbenafine and also doing the dips twice weekly on all of your cats.

Thanks daisycat1122. Our Fred is 17 yo and an old man and cannot tolerate the anti fungal orals. We tried. I also got Terbinafine when the Itrafungol disagreed with Fred and the pills are just too big and the side effects too great. The good news is Fred's fungus is cleaning but he is listless and lifeless so we had to do blood work yesterday at the vet and praying he doesn't have something bad going on besides the fungus. The vet will only do a lime dip every 7 days on our babies. We cannot lime dip them ourselves. They are too wild. So there it is. All 3 are getting the Itrafungol and Fred the oldest cannot tolerate it. They are all getting lime dips once a week. We have been shampooing them with an anti fungal shampoo once a week too but questioning if we should continue that. We do it at least 5 days from the lime dip so as not to remove it. I am glad your baby has cleared and that the others did not catch it. May I ask how your 10 year old girl got ringworm?